BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A former Brownsville officer has been sentenced to 8 years in federal prison for escorting meth, officials said.
Jose Salinas, 53, of Brownsville, Texas, was convicted of trafficking one kilogram of meth at a used car lot he owned, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Officials said Salinas was arrested on March 19, 2020, after meeting with people he believed to be drug traffickers - later accepting $2,500 in cash from them, as well.
The department said Salinas was discovered to be escorting meth and cocaine from the used car lot to a stash house.
Salinas was noted by the court to have parked his marked police car in front of the stash house to protect the drug load.
Salinas would later plead guilty that same year on August 2.
The court said Salinas had "misused this position of trust to commit the crime over a period of time, not just on one occasion."
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. also sentenced Salinas to three years of supervised release and issued him a fine of $3,000.
Judge Rodriguez is said to have expressed concern that the criminal actions of Salinas will now cast all law enforcement in a bad light.
The former Brownsville officer has since been permitted to remain on bond, officials said.
He will also be allowed to voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility at a later date.
Officials said the exact location will be determined shortly.
The Brownsville Police Department was accredited by officials for assisting with this investigation.
The following agencies were also accredited: The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security Investigations.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David A. Lindenmuth, Israel Cano and Jody Young were accredited for prosecuting this case.
